Bright food for dull days: Healthy comfort food

IN WINTER we always look for comfort food to make us feel warm and loved. But comfort doesn’t have to mean fattening and with a splash of colour can put a huge smile back on your face.

During the dark winter months you can use a variety of bright ingredients such as smoked fish, peppers, berries, savoy cabbage, saffron, tomatoes, butternut squash, beetroot and lots of green vegetables to balance plates and palates and make the food look mouthwateringly good. 

Top cookery schools The Novelli Academy and The Cooking School at Dean Clough have exclusively put together a meal that will bring a winter pable to life. Jean Christophe Novelli’s corgette and roquefort soup and Poulet Provencal will warm your cockles and Dean Clough’s delicious plum and frangepane tart will set your tastebuds tingling.   

 Courgette & Roquefort Soup
Jean Christophe Novelli’s corgette and roquefort soup will warm your cockles [NOVELLI]

The Novelli Academy - Courgette & Roquefort Soup

French

Starter

Preparation Time 15 minutes
Cooking Time 30 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients

Preparation:
  • 1kg courgette (diced into 2cm cubes)
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin rapeseed oil
  • 4 cloves garlic (crushed)
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds
  • 1 tsp honey
  • 500ml hot, strong vegetable stock ground black pepper
  • 100ml creme fraiche
  • 1 tbsp chervil stalks
  • 30g Roquefort cheese (cubed and kept in the fridge until r

Heat the rapeseed oil in a deep pan, with a lid.  

Add the courgettes, garlic and fennel seeds and sweat for 10 minutes, taking care not to let them change colour (if they start to colour, reduce the heat). Add the honey and sauté for approx 2 minutes.

Add the stock and a grind of black pepper. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat. Blend the soup using a hand blender and gradually add the créme fraiche.  

To Serve: Run the chervil stalks under very cold water to make sure they are nice and crisp.  Using either1 large serving bowl or individual bowls, ladle out the hot soup. Add the cheese cubes and place the chervil over the cheese. Serve immediately. My take on a marriage of perfectly balanced ingredients.  

Chef’s Tip: Add the cubes of cheese at the very last moment before serving. This will ensure the cheese reaches melting point just at the right time. 

Poulet Provencale
This recipe originates from the south west of France where the rolling hills of Provence meet the blue waters of the Mediterranean [NOVELLI]

The Novelli Academy - Poulet Provencale

French

Main course

Preparation Time 40 minutes
Cooking Time 30 minutes
4

Ingredients

Preparation:
  • 4 chicken legs (cut through the joint to separate drumsti
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tbsp eau de vie (or Cognac)
  • 3 shallots (sliced)
  • 1 yellow pepper (diced)
  • 1 whole fennel (diced)
  • Sprig rosemary
  • 1 garlic bulb
  • 1 courgette (diced)
  • 1 sprig fresh basil
  • 3 plum tomatoes (diced)
  • 350ml dry white wine
  • 2 tsp cornflour (mixed with 2 tsp cold water)
  • 1 tbsp mixed olives
  • 2 tbsp wholegrain mustard pasta or brown basmati rice (to serv
  • Crushed black pepper (to taste)

Preheat the oven to 160¼C (fan), 180¼C (non-fan), or gas mark 4.  

Seal The Chicken - In a deep pan with a lid, heat a little oil and sauté the chicken legs to seal and colour them. Set aside the chicken and pour off the excess fat from the pan. Return to the heat.  

For The Sauce - Pour the eau de vie into the pan, heat for 30 seconds, then ignite to flamb.

Add the shallots, yellow pepper, fennel, rosemary, black pepper and garlic, then saute for 10 minutes. At the last minute, add the courgettes with the torn basil and cover with a lid.

To Cook The Chicken And Serve - Return the chicken to the pan, add the tomatoes, white wine and cornflour. Cover and put into the oven for 20 minutes or more (depending on the size of the chicken).

Just before serving, place back on the hob and add the olives. Stir in the mustard, but do not let it boil. Serve. Perfect with pasta or boiled brown basmati rice.  

Chef’s Tip: The cooking times will need to be adjusted according to the size of the chicken legs used for this recipe

 Plum and Frangipane Tart
Dean Clough’s delicious plum and frangepane tart will set your tastebuds tingling [DEAN CLOUGH]

Dean Clough Foundation - Plum and Frangipane Tart

French

Pudding

Preparation Time 30 minutes
Cooking Time 45 minutes
Serves 6 people

Ingredients

For the pastry :
  • 200g plain flour
  • 50g butter
  • 50g white vegetable fat
  • 50g caster sugar
  • 1 medium egg
  • Flour for rolling out
For the frangipane filling :
  • 75g butter
  • 75g caster sugar
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 25g plain white flour
  • 3 dessert plums, sliced
  • 80g ground almonds
For the glaze :
  • 2 tablespoons apricot jam
  • 1 tablespoon water

Make the pastry by cutting the butter and white vegetable fat into the flour and rubbing it in with the fingertips to form a mixture that resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar.  Add the egg and mix to a dough with a round bladed knife.    

Roll the pastry into a circle slightly bigger than the tart tin taking care not to over-handle or stretch it. Line the tin and trim off the excess pastry. Place the pastry case in the refrigerator to rest for 30 minutes.

Heat oven to 190°C/Gas 5. Take a piece of greaseproof paper, screw it in a ball, then flatten it out.  Place it on top of pastry and cover with baking beans. Bake the pastry case blind for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool slightly.

To make the frangipane place the butter and sugar in a bowl and cream together with with a wooden spoon until the mixture is light and fluffy.  

Gradually add the egg beating well. Fold in the almonds and flour. Spoon the mixture into pastry case.

Arrange the sliced plums on their sides in circles starting at the edge of the tart and working your way towards the centre. Gently push the plums into the frangipane mixture.  

Place on a baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown and firm to the touch. Remove from the oven and cool slightly.  

To make the glaze, melt the apricot jam and water in the pan over a low heat. When the tart is cool, brush the surface with the glaze.  

HOT TIPS: For convenience use ready-made pastry - it gives good results and easier for younger children to handle.  If you do not have ceramic baking beans use dried pulses.  Substitute the plums for other seasonal fruits (sliced) such as pears, apricots, apple and cherries.

For more information and recipes please visit: jeanchristophenovelli.com; thecookingschool.co.uk

To find a great cookery school near you please visit independentcookeryschools.co.uk

Would you like to receive news notifications from Daily Express?